


Fanfiction Explained

by palepinkimpulses



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Genre: Fanfiction Explained, collab project
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 21:09:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4892350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/palepinkimpulses/pseuds/palepinkimpulses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Has anyone ever wondered why you read “crappy” fanfiction instead of “good” published works?<br/>This project is for everyone who has been looked down upon because of that; it’s for us to share the love about something we enjoy and don’t have to be ashamed of liking! This also could be a really quick thing; you don’t have to spend more than a few minutes on this. Expressing yourself doesn’t require a thousand-word writing.<br/>Basically anyone who loves fanfiction can submit a chapter/short writing in the ‘story’, “Fanfiction Explained” about why they love it, and you get the bonus of hearing about what both readers and writers like about this wonderful hobby!<br/>~participate in this project <a href="http://www.fanfictionexplained.tumblr.com">here</a>~</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fanfiction Explained

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone~ Here in Fanfiction Explained, you'll be able to read about your fellow fans' thoughts about fanfiction, their personal ties with it, and even some fic recommendations. We'd love it if you all could submit anything you'd like to say [here](http://www.fanfictionexplained.tumblr.com).  
> We hope you guys enjoy this collaborative project for fanfiction lovers~

_~submitted by[thetruescarlettohara](http://thetruescarlettohara.tumblr.com/)~_

* * *

     When I saw the post calling on all fanfiction writers to submit an excerpt about why they love fanfiction, my first thought was, “Hey, that’s pretty cool. I love fanfiction!” But then I stopped to think about a little longer…  _Why_ do _I love fanfiction so much?_ Sure, I’ve been writing it for forever, practically. But what is it about it that keeps me coming back for more? So, here goes nothing…

        I, like many others, have suffered from depression for many years. It started in middle school, though it wasn’t until much later that I realized  _depression_ was what was happening to me. I’ve never been very thin, I didn’t really grow into my looks until after high school, and then my parents decided to move our whole family across the country when I was in 6th grade. As if this time in my life wasn’t hard enough, I now had to start all over in a new and strange place, with people I didn’t know. Top it all off with a rebellious older sister that demanded a lot of my parents’ time and attention… Well, to say the least, I was closed off.

        The vast majority of my time was spent alone in my room, reading books or listening to music, just trying to stay out of the way of the battles raging between my parents and my sister. I began to play an instrument and take an interest in singing when I was in 7th grade, but sometimes that just wasn’t enough. I’d always been an avid reader, but in my freshman year of high school I got my hands on the first installment in the  _Inheritance Cycle_ by Christopher Paolini. It was that story—which captured my imagination and still holds a piece of my heart today—that set me on my path to fanfiction. It inspired me to write my  _own_ version of the tale of Eragon and Saphira.

        I’d be lying if I said I didn’t envision myself in the story, and I set out to write a  _horrendous_ (not even exaggerating here) self-insert fic which is the stuff of Mary Sue nightmares.  _Oh god,_ it was awful. I mean, truly bad stuff, now that I look back on it. (I’ll give you some spoilers though: I went back and rewrote it several years later, and now it’s one of the fics I’m most proud of, at a whopping 54 chapters, 185k words, and still going.) But at the time I was writing, it was simply…  _exhilarating._ I mean, who doesn’t envision themselves in their favorite story alongside their beloved characters? It’s entirely natural, so don’t feel bad if you’re into self-inserts. They can be really great if they’re handled the proper way. And, let’s be honest, who hasn’t had a crush on a fictional character at some point in time? I will be the first to proudly raise my hand and admit I was (and still sorta am) a Murtagh fangirl. Come on, y’all…  _he’s dreamy._ *clears throat nervously* Anyways…

        Fanfiction was my way of self-expression in a world that was constantly pushing me off to the side, telling me my voice didn’t matter. Suddenly, I had people sending me messages or reviews of my work about how much they loved it, and what a great writer I was. It was a significant confidence boost to my ever-falling self-esteem. I loved feeling like I had something of worth to contribute to a fan base of likeminded people. I suddenly had more friends and fans than a shy fifteen-year-old knew what to do with. In the world of fanfiction, I was finally free to be myself without fear of judgment. (I’m one of the lucky ones who never had to deal with trolls or flames.) It was more than I could have ever hoped for, and I was soon hooked on writing fics for every book, movie, or TV show that struck my fancy. This led to a lot of crappy, unfinished pieces of work that I eventually scrapped, but  _still…_ My creativity was flowing in ways that I never knew were possible before.

        One of my favorite things about fanfiction is that there are literally  _endless_ possibilities to what you can do with it. You wanna pair together two characters that have never met in the original work? Go for it! Drop the kids from Harry Potter into the Hunger Games? Shoot yeah! Thinking of writing a smutty one-shot between two siblings? More power to you! You can literally do WHATEVER THE HELL you want when it comes to fanfiction. That, to me, is the most beautiful aspect to all of this.         In a lot of ways, fanfiction (in tandem with my involvement in music) allowed me to flourish and break out of my shell. That confidence I’d found in online anonymity was slowly eeking out into my real life. It also quite possibly saved my life, and is still saving me today.         As per the guidelines, I’ll give some recommendations. My favorite fandoms include:  _The Inheritance Cycle, A Song of Ice and Fire,_ and  _Harry Potter._ And, to avoid any blatant self-promotion (because let’s get real: who doesn’t love their own fics?), I’ll link to three of my all-time favorites by other authors.  

  1. _[elia martell: they kill us for their sport](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7752172/1/elia-martell-they-kill-us-for-their-sport) _ by dance-at-bougival



I literally cannot say enough good things about this fic. First of all, the writing itself is so utterly gorgeous, it must be read to be believed. dance-at-bougival has such an immense talent for emulating an author’s style, while still making it her own. When I read this fic, I really felt like I was reading George R.R. Martin’s unpublished work. This fic is set within the  _A Song of Ice and Fire_ ( _Game of Thrones_ for those show-only folks) universe, and it’s about the life of Elia Martell, sister to the Red Viper, and wife of Rhaegar Targaryen. I’m not ashamed to say that I bawled my eyes out at this fic, that’s how beautiful it is. Seriously, I cannot laud its praises enough.  

  1. [_The True Inheritance, or Eld Hlj_ _ö_](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7558100/1/The-True-Inheritance-or-Eld-Hlj%C3%B6dhr-abr-Wyrda) _[hdr abr Wyrda](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7558100/1/The-True-Inheritance-or-Eld-Hlj%C3%B6dhr-abr-Wyrda) _ by Adin the Conqueror



This fic is one of my favorites because it gave an ending to the  _Inheritance Cycle_ that was actually satisfying. (If you’re a fan of the  _Inheritance Cycle_ as well, you know what I’m talking about.) His writing is amazing, so that’s a plus, but he was also able to craft a story that actually felt like it  _really was_ the ending. I’ve completely accepted it as headcanon. If you’re a fan of Paolini’s work, but were dissatisfied with the ending he gave us, then go check out this fic.  _Do it._   

  1. Any of the works by [little0bird](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1443437/little0bird)



She only writes Harry Potter fics, and they are so freakin’ good. She’s another writer that has an amazing ability to emulate an author’s style while still being able to shine with their own voice. If you find yourself with nothing to do, and you love Harry Potter fanfiction, I highly recommend any of her works. But if I had to pick just one, I’d go with  _[Stolen Time](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4499690/1/Stolen-Time)._

           This got a lot longer than I meant it to, but oh well. That’s what happens when you get talking about something you love. You should hear me talk about opera…  _So_ , I’ll end with one of my favorite quotes about being a writer.   Signing off, Naerys Targaryen (ffn) Kataclysm22 (AO3)  _“Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything… It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.”_   _-Enid Bagnold_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Find us and get information for submissions [here](http://www.fanfictionexplained.tumblr.com) ^_^


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